


Patient Zero's Bouquet

by novaauster



Series: Nova's Hanahaki Theories [2]
Category: Original Work
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-16
Updated: 2021-02-16
Packaged: 2021-03-19 01:41:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,754
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29499732
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/novaauster/pseuds/novaauster
Summary: Extra Credit- For diagnostic purposes, this first-person record of the Hanahaki Fungus’ effects was written during the Hanahaki epidemic caused by isolation during the Covid-19 pandemic. Take notes of when each stage of Hanahaki takes effect in this Patient Zero.(Short horror story from the perspective of Patient Zero, who is writing a diary about her experience with Hanahaki Disease while it takes root in her mind.)
Series: Nova's Hanahaki Theories [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2166870
Comments: 4
Kudos: 8





	Patient Zero's Bouquet

**Author's Note:**

> I didn't tag this as graphic descriptions of violence because it's not really violent, but it's definitely disturbing in terms of body horror, and Patient Zero appears to suffer from paranoia, and the chef is implied to be a cannibal, so warning for all that.

_Entry One ___

__Can you outsmart it?_ _

__Honestly, I think it has a sense of humor._ _

__I think I know when I got it. It was just a normal morning, really, me shoveling a bowl of cereal in my mouth and [REDACTED] (my roommate and best friend, for you future historians) looking for her keys. They were in her purse, like they always were. She asked me, with her perfect dark curls piled on her head and stage makeup on her face (she’s a news anchor) “How do I look?” and I replied, like I always do, with a new compliment. That day, it was “Breathtaking.”  
,,,,,,,, yeah, it’s hilarious. I took that one deep breath after she left, and realized it. In that breath, I’m sure there was a spore, embedding itself in my lungs, searching its wanton little mycelia through my veins. You can’t escape the spores, but normally you breathe them out, I think. I did some research, and WebMD says I’m gonna die, but it always says that._ _

__That was a week ago. This morning I coughed out a piece of a petal, half the size of my pinky fingernail, and [REDACTED] doesn’t keep dead flowers in the apartment, so I couldn’t have just breathed it in._ _

__God, I’m really tired. Nightmares were wild last night. I’m sure I should tell [REDACTED], but what could she do? Maybe it’ll go away. It comes and goes in waves, as always, and maybe I can scare Hanahaki off. I can scare most people off, it’s not like Hanahaki is braver than humans. Besides, who would want to take root in me?_ _

__

___Entry Two ____ _

____ _ _

____Guess who just got ~*fired~*!_ _ _ _

____Yeah yeah obvs, future historians, I did. I was just too fucking tired to deal with that Karen so I might’ve told her to sod off, but honestly, she deserved it. What the hell is a plain soda, anyway? And her kid was screaming its head off._ _ _ _

____So yeah I’m broke lmao, thank god for [REDACTED] paying the rent this month, I should probably find another fast food restaurant to work at. Though I’m banned from Kurger Bing and Cookout… yeah so I may have a failed dream of being a chef. But I do make a mean quesadilla, [REDACTED] always says so._ _ _ _

____Speaking of her, she’s noticed my cough. I imagine I’m going to be drinking a lot of honey-lemon tea in my immediate future. Luckily, the cough isn’t that bad when she’s around, this is like that one story with the dude with stigmata and the priest except for the fact that God isn’t real and we’re on our own. Lmao._ _ _ _

____A whole petal appeared today. I burned it, but I think I should find a use for them if they start coming faster. They’re a fungus, right, maybe some loser botanist wants them. I’ll do some research._ _ _ _

____I’m not scared. yet._ _ _ _

____ _ _

_____Entry Three ____ _ _ _

______ _ _ _ _

______So apparently no botanist wants hanahaki samples, sucks for them, but on the plus side there’s this chef here from France who thinks that hanahaki mushrooms contain the secret to love and wants to fry them up for ravioli or whatever. I emailed him yesterday, I think I’ll meet him soon and give him what I have so far, it’s like ten individual petals, most of them broken. At some point I’ll have a whole flower. They’re a little bloody, but I’m sure chefs don’t have a problem with washing blood off, they prepare meat and stuff, right?_ _ _ _ _ _

______I’m drinking a whole tub of lemon-honey tea rn [right now]. My throat hurts like the devil himself snogged me, which, honestly wouldn’t be that bad. I’d have clout in hell, that’s for sure._ _ _ _ _ _

______Have you ever imagined being burned? Like, being in a fire, the raging kind you can’t snuff, with oil and gasoline encroaching. I have. It won’t go out._ _ _ _ _ _

______Entry Four_ _ _ _ _ _

______I think [REDACTED] knows. I swear I heard her look through my stuff, she could’ve found the petals before she left for work. She asked me how she looked, and it hurt my throat to say “Sublime.” But it was true, she looked ethereal as smoke._ _ _ _ _ _

______I remember when I came with her to work once, to watch her do her first solo news story. I didn’t know where to sit and I spilled coffee on a director and he got so mad, dude, it was crazy- he turned completely purple. I remember everything he yelled at me._ _ _ _ _ _

______I took the petals to the chef. He looked down his oddly pointed nose at them, and washed the blood off with a power hose. It smelled rusty, like pennies in your mouth as a toddler right before you choke. All the petals are whole now. I’m waiting for a whole flower. It’s gonna hurt. ..,,..\/,/\ aw I shouldn’t be using a pen. That was a really funky cough._ _ _ _ _ _

______The petals taste like rose water and dirt. I’ll go put them into a ziploc, I’ll give them to the chef tomorrow._ _ _ _ _ _

______ _ _ _ _

_______Entry Five ____ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _ _ _

________I’m shaking. I’m not weak, though, I can still lift and stuff, but today there were three petals together, dripping all the way through with spit and blood. It won’t be long. When I gave them to the chef, his eyebrows twisted together and I saw some shadow behind his eyes._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________I asked if he minded the blood. He said no. He smiled. The same way Dracula does in that old movie. Maybe he likes it._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________[REDACTED] is begging me to see a doctor. I don’t think I can complain about money anymore, the chef is paying me for every petal. Did I make the appointment for Saturday or Sunday?_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________Entry Six ____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________The doc said I should quarantine. I was like, man, what do you think I’m doing? I know we can’t handle two pandemics at once. Aha… unless. I don’t think I asked if you could get it from eating the flowers, but honestly if the chef gets it that’s on him. He tried to teach me how to make Hanahaki sauce this morning._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________The lights in his kitchen are too bright, they reflect off of the stainless-steel cookware like you’re living inside a mirror. I only looked at my reflection once. I’m thin, and pale, the color of dry, rotting pine wood. When I smile, my teeth are pinkish. The nightmares and the coughing, waking me up at all witching hours, show under and behind my eyes. The chef looks at me the same way he looks at the flowers, paring the petals apart with a knife like a scalpel, stacking them up to sizzle deafeningly in browned butter, my lingering blood turning the sauce the color of wine. He tasted it with a metal spoon. I think he likes how the boiling burns his lips, as if it’s repentance. I don’t ask who he serves it to._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Can I still outsmart it?_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________[REDACTED] found my flowers. She’s going to know._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

___________Entry Seven ____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________There aren’t individual petals anymore. The flowers, the mushrooms, choke me constantly, my breath turned to wheezing. I don’t go on long walks anymore. The doc said that once the flowers come with their stems, you can’t do surgery anymore. That’ll be any moment now._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________I dreamed I forgot to go to my appointment and the chef found me instead, cutting my lungs like balloons for surgery and serving me on a shining silver platter with my bronchi in browned butter. I don’t remember when my next appointment is. The chef is giving me enough to pay [REDACTED]’s rent for a year once I’m gone. If I’m gone._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________She found out. She couldn’t not, she sees me choke and spit and shake, and collect the decomposer’s fruit of my pain, “to dispose of safely in the biohazard bin”._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________She just doesn’t know it’s all for her._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________It’s all for her. Before and after. Always._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________I’m scared now._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_____________Entry Eight ____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________The flowers have stems. There was a twin this morning. Double stem for good luck, Hanahaki aren’t cherries but they have the same color for a little while._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________Until the blood dries._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________I dreamed I got surgery and I choked on it all, and the spores took my dry lungs and spread them out, across the city, taking root in every friend, enemy, and stranger I’ve ever known, breaking me apart like the exoskeleton of an insect with gnats out the eyeballs. Like the husk I feel like._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________[REDACTED] is worried. So am I, and what good does it do?_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________I dream that I kiss her and the mycelia shoot up, it feels like angel’s hair pasta woven from spiderwebs, coat my tongue and choke her. That’s the worst one. I will not give her true death’s kiss. I will not leave my flowers behind so that the roots stay in our veins forever I will not let it take root._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________I won’t do that to her. It’s too late for surgery, I’ll never hurt her, so hope for her, not for me, lies in the chef._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________I’m so tired.  
/\  
\  
\  
\   
\  
\---  
________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_______________Entry Nine -10? 8? ____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________typing with one hand. getting weaker._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________the Hanahaki took my memories for my love, for adrenaline and steroids to help it grow and choke me, it took my lungs for their dark gasps as if I am decomposed already. at least my love has value to something. it consumes me_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________breathing hurts. maybe I should stop._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________[REDACTED] took me to hospital so I’m in ER_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________haven’t slept. nightmares. can’t remember them_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________doc says tell her. I won’t_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________it’s still all for her._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________blood looks right on hospital bedsheets. browned butter looks right in the kitchen of mirrors. i never became a chef. wilted flowers look right crushed in my hands staining them dry. i don’t fear leaving if she’s there with me holding my red skeleton hands_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________[REDACTED] i love you i love you i love you i’m sorry i didnt want to leave you youre perfect_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________I didnt outsmart it_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________/\  
/ \  
/ \ /\   
-/\ / \ / \ /\\_________________  
\/ \ / \/  
\/_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________________Patient Zero was extubated incorrectly a week after her last diary entry. This caused a violent final convulsion of her diaphragm, releasing spores that infected every hospital worker in the room, and [REDACTED], Patient Zero’s original “breathtaking” catalyst for her Hanahaki infection, soon became symptomatic and died a month later. The “chef” that Patent Zero refers to has not been located for questioning, though it is illegal to keep biohazards in a restaurant in this state, and restaurants have not even been open during the quarantine. ____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _


End file.
